Feature

March 30, 2015

By Allison Perotti

The South Africa Service Learning Trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Sierra Nevada College students. With such a costly expedition, students turn to fundraising in hopes of minimizing the expense and to raise money in order to assist areas surrounding Thorny Bush, South Africa.

“I’m looking forward to the culture shock that will be involved with going on this trip, and I hope this gives exposure to those who have not yet seen something like this. Max Huff, a senior at Sierra Nevada College explains. It is really going to be an eye opener not only for me, but for all the students involved. I’m hoping this fundraising dinner will be a success so even more students have the opportunity to go.”

Henry Philips, a student from SNC who attended the South Africa Service Learning Trip last yearm said, “The best thing for me about my experience in Africa was being able to connect with people on a personal level, understand their lives and see where they come from. It was really special to be able to touch someone not just for a moment but be with them and walk in their shoes for more than a day.”

The goal of the South Africa Service Learning Trip is to participate in a community initiative that supports local organizations. Some of these include preschools, elementary schools, Food and Herb gardens for Aid orphans, Elephant awareness, and many others.

Dinner will be served from 5pm to 8pm and will be held in Patterson Hall, Sierra Nevada College 999 Tahoe Blvd. Incline Village, NV. Price of dinner will be $10 for adults and $7 for children under 12.

A Silent Auction along with presentations from the students will be held during dinner. Donations for the silent action are from local business and people surrounding Lake Tahoe. Contact Max Huff for ticket information, (415) 740-0665 or max@kimber.net.

I love the small college and the small college vibe. I love that the biggest class I have been in has had only sixty people. I love the intimate relationships I’ve built with professors, co-workers, administration, faculty, and peers. I get that small town, suburbia vibe—which I love because I am from suburbia. But, I would say that I’ve had an eye-opening experience coming here, especially coming from a small town. I’ve learned to grow and develop here.

Tell me about one of your eye-opening experiences.

When I moved off campus and I lived with my two best friends, I learned a lot. Both of my roommates were completely crazy. One was a pathological liar. She was hard to deal with and over-dramatic and I just loved living with that. It was like I was in a relationship with someone that I never wanted to be with! My other roommate became really racist towards black people when he got drunk (and the other roommate was black). And so I was the sane one surrounded by two crazies. When I left that house, we were no longer best friends.

How has it been living back on campus?

It’s way different. Last time I lived on campus, I was a freshman and I had a very tight group of friends. But I found my best friend Zoey, and now we’re best friends. The food has improved 110% since I was a freshman. And now, I’m an RA! Being an RA is a fun job—now I know what Lizzie goes through every day. I thought orientation was really fun, tiring, but fun.

Besides being an RA, what other jobs do you have at SNC?

I’ve been the president of Pride Club since freshman year. Pride Club, last year, planned a Speak Out Against Hate night and three-day workshop with Tahoe Safe Alliance, the art department (making self-identity pieces), and our own Pride Club members performed skits acting out scenes from our own LGBT lives.

Last year, I was a Director of Events for SGA. I also worked for the Development team at SGA planning all of our events. This year, I’m President of SGA. I like to keep myself very busy!

What do you do when you’re not working?

I’m either going to the movies—I love the movies. I also try to go off -campus as much as possible to get away from the stress. I’m trying not do work after 5 ‘o’ clock. I try to relax, do homework and go on adventures—like going to the Hot Springs.

What are your plans for after-graduation?

I’m graduating in May, 2015. Then, I plan to move to Arizona to work in the Events industry.

March 25, 2015

Over the weekend of February 27 – March 1, the six students in this spring’s ODAL 101 class traveled to Tomales Bay in Point Reyes National Seashore for a weekend of sea kayaking. They spent three days and two nights kayaking in the bay and beach camping. This is the class’s second expedition, following their Desolation Wilderness backpacking trip in late January.

The six students, joined by class instructor Daryl Teittinen, began their trip early Friday morning, departing from Sierra Nevada College at 6:00 a.m. and driving to Point Reyes National Seashore. Once there, they met their kayaking guide, Kenny Howell, and launched from Chicken Ranch Beach after learning basics on packing the boats and kayaking safety. The group spent the first day of sea kayaking enduring 30 mph winds and choppy waves all afternoon, until they reached Marshall Beach, their camping destination.

“The most challenging part of the trip was the first day. The wind was against us, the water was splashing up in our faces, my hands got really cold, and my arms were starting to get tired,” said Freshman Thacher Winot.

However, this difficult first day helped the students appreciate their next two days of kayaking, which included beautiful, sunny weather and calm waters.

“The 30 mph winds the day before helped me appreciate how good we had it,” said Sophomore Matt Garcia. “If we had good weather the whole time, it would’ve just been kinda lame. We had terrible weather the first day, and the second and third day we had great weather and it was like ‘Oh my god, this is amazing!’”

On Saturday, the ODAL 101 crew spent the morning learning how to flip a capsized kayak, and then paddled to Hog Island, where they saw seals lounging on the rocks. After exploring the island, the group paddled to White Gulch Beach and participated in a mid-day hike to McClures Beach on the Pacific Ocean.

“My favorite part of the trip was our hike to McClures Beach. I haven’t seen the Pacific Ocean before, and it was awesome to see the cliffs,” said Winot.

After soaking up stunning views of the Pacific, the group of eight paddled back to camp on Marshall Beach, cooked dinner, and spent the evening around the campfire.

“What’s so special about our class is our size – how small we are – and how close we were all able to get. When we talk at the end of the day about what went well what went badly, and what we thought of everything, it allows us to really open up to each other,” said Garcia.

On Sunday morning, the group packed up the kayaks and headed back to Chicken Ranch Beach. The students reflected on their experience and can’t wait for more expeditions to come.

“This class is like a reprieve,” said Garcia. “It allows you to really step back and get away from your other classes. When you go on the trips, you come back from them revitalized and reenergized. You feel like a better person, like a better version of you.”

“Being outdoors resets your baseline for what you truly need in this world,” said Junior Ryan Cornelis. “It reminds us we are way more capable than our minds will ever allow us to believe.”

March 25, 2015

Gigi Giles beckons her students’ waning attention to the projector screen, although their three hour evening lab is nearly over. She plays a video of the Falcon 9 booster crash landing on a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The 14-story spacecraft bursts into flames as it hits the barge, just after delivering supplies to the International Space Station. Her enthusiasm suggests a burning fire of equal proportion.

“I don’t usually say this to my biology students, but astronomy is what I’m all about,” she said.

Giles began working at Sierra Nevada College as a science labs manager in 2013, and is now teaching Environmental Systems, Introductory Astronomy, and two biology lab courses. In addition to her work at the college, she is finishing a masters in astronomy. It’s an achievement, one might say, that has been on her horizon from birth.

“I’m from Houston, Texas, and I grew up during the Space Age,” she said. “Starting in the second grade, schools take the kids on their first field trip to the Johnson Space Center. We got to see the Apollo capsules and Saturn V rocket. The tours continued all the way into college for science majors. Then we got to see the neutral buoyancy lab that the astronauts train in, in their full suits. I’ve always loved it.”

Despite the countless hours she spent in her backyard pouring over star charts, Giles was not optimistic about opportunities in the field of astronomy. She double majored in chemistry and biology at a small private college in Houston. But it seems no matter where she ventured, the vast expanse was always on her mind.

“When I met my future husband, I moved to Hawaii, where he was. I was the director of astronomy at the Hyatt in Maui, and I led three star tours per night on their rooftop with a big telescope,” she said. “The skies are beautiful in Hawaii.”

After honeymooning in Tahoe, Giles and her husband made Incline Village their permanent home, where she continued to find jobs that fulfilled her passion. She led star gazing programs at the Hyatt in Incline Village and Squaw Valley. Although neither programs are currently available, Giles remains active in the field.

“I am a member of the Astronomical Society of Nevada, which meets in Reno,” Giles said. “It’s a nice group of amateur astronomers who want to get out with their telescopes with a gang of people. The club also does events for schools, and I do my own fair share of events by myself for national and state parks.”

Her most recent achievement comes at a critical time, as she takes on growing responsibilities at the college and prepares for two masters projects through Swinburne University in the upcoming month. She has been appointed the Reno Solar System Ambassador for NASA and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Becoming a representative of NASA is a great honor for Giles.

“I’m a super fan of NASA, so it’s really exciting. It’ll be much like what I already do, which is provide opportunities for the community to understand outer space and what NASA is doing. I get a lot of really cool training,” she said. “Right now I have the opportunity to listen and talk with the mission specialists of New Horizons, which is going to be arriving at Pluto soon.”

Giles is a strong believer that space science is as essential as many other topics taught in school, and she finds it disappointing that primary and secondary education frequently overlook it. With the field growing, she anticipates many opportunities for new students in the future. Her hope is to integrate a real astronomy program into the science department at SNC. The curriculum might include classes like astrobiology, planetary science, and observational astronomy.

“I would like to build up the astronomy program. The school has had some great astronomy instructors, but as far as I know just one class, the introductory elective,” said Giles. “It’s great for an intro course, because it’s a really cool science, but there is so much in astronomy. The field is just bursting.”

The lab course, Giles warns, would be highly dependent on the weather. But on clear nights, the class could use a telescope to study planets, satellites, asteroids, nearby galaxies and supernovae, just to name a few.

Giles’ eyes widen while discussing some of the greatest objects she’s viewed through a telescope. She breathlessly describes the Omega Centauri, a globular cluster packed with ten million stars, and the whirlpool galaxy, a classic spiral with a central bulge and winding arms. When asked to pick a favorite astronomical sight, she pauses and sighs, “Oh, that’s a question I’m going to have to think about.”

March 5, 2015

At Alibi Ale Works, the Sierra Nevada College Brewing Club has taken on a new life.

“Last year, SNC offered a brewing class for the first time. That is when a lot of students, including myself, first became interested in the science behind brewing,” said Senior Tim Curran, Vice-President of the Brewing Club.

Curran was not alone with his newfound passion for brewing. While a Brewing Club had existed at SNC in years past, it had to be reorganized to accommodate a growing interest in the craft.

“The Brewing Club was around before, but nobody had done much with it. I figured if anyone changed this, it would be me,” said Junior Courtney Potts, President of the Brewing Club.

March 5, 2015

Located toward the back of the nationally recognized science building for its high-performance structure, building technology, design and construction of the future is the once very popular greenhouse. While the greenhouse may have seen better days, the space is open to a variety of possibilities. Senior Marina McCoy, Sustainability chair and Green Council president, is helping lead the way to improve where past students left off.

“We really want to make the greenhouse functional and flourish with yummy veggies,” said McCoy. “We hope that this can be used as a platform to get more students involved with growing their own food and reducing food waste.”

Under the supervision of Gigi Giles, lab manager of the Science department and Suzanne Gollery, chair of Science and Technology, students can come and go as required, keeping up with current projects. Giles has been working hard recently cleaning up the room alongside several eager students. When it comes to how the greenhouse is being used, Giles wants students to take charge of the program with her and Gollery’s guidance with updated procedures.

March 4, 2015

Jake Bricklin, well known around campus for his exceptional success with the Business Plan Competitions, Jake Bricklin shares with us some of his experiences from the past 4 years at SNC

SENIOR JAKE BRICKLIN sports the colors of the greatest football team of all time.

Name: Jake Bricklin

Age: 22

Year: Senior

Major: Resort Management, Minor in

Entrepreneurship

Hometown: Seattle, Washington

BY ALI PEROTTIContributor

Where are you originally from?

Seattle, Washington. It was a great place to grow up, but Tahoe was a good change for me with all the sun. I do miss home from time to time, especially in the summer it’s always really nice up there.

Tell me about your background? Family life?

Well I’m a triplet. I have another older sister. It kind of makes for a crazy make-up. People ask me that all the time, ‘what’s it like being a triplet?’ But really, I don’t know what its like to not be a triplet. It just makes for an interesting dynamic growing up. Everyone’s the same age, you can do a lot of things together, it was fun.

What brought you to SNC?

I was playing soccer in Maine doing a post-grad year and we lost a tournament early so I came out to Tahoe to ski for a week. I ended up looking at the college and applied on the spot. I got in a couple of days later and have been here since.

What are some of your hobbies?

I’m constantly watching some type of sport. I love everything to do with the sports industry. Throughout high school I played soccer but not so much anymore. However, I definitely feel that business is one of my hobbies. I’m constantly thinking about problems in the world and their potential solutions. Then from there potential solutions you can make money with.

How does SNC support your hobby for business?

I think that SNC has this really interesting tone to it. There are people who really, really love business and then there is this other side of campus who feel that business is evil. Granted there are bad people in the world that are businessmen but it’s what happens. Business isn’t evil, people are.

What is it about business that is so appealing to you?

No one has solved the underlying problem in business. There is not formula to tell you how to be successful, don’t get me wrong people know how to do it but there is an adventure and challenge to putting those six P’s together (people, planet, profit, people, process, product) and being able to figure it out and create a successful business is really what is so appealing to me. There is always room for new stuff and if you want to get on the magazine covers one day you have to find that new stuff that consumers are looking for.

Where are you hoping to be in the next 5 years?

Well, I love retail and I love sales. I’m one of the few people who still like to call themselves a Salesman. Ideally, despite my major I would like to get out of the snow-reliant business but the same resort management skills apply. You’re still trying to push people, grow margins; all the same stuff applies. My plan is to hopefully open some kind of rental and apparel store. If I’m able to find a place that is lacking a rental and apparel solution it shouldn’t be hard. Entrepreneurship is like baking a cake, If you have all the right ingredients your cake will turn out great, but if you mistake baking powder for baking soda, well your cakes going to turn out pretty bad.

If you were to give advice to an incoming freshman, what would it be?

Just find what you like to do here. My first two years here I had no idea what I wanted to do. I think my greatest turning point was when I broke my leg sophomore year around Christmas. Someone approached me about getting into the business plan competition and I just said why not.

If you could suggest something to the school before you graduate what would it be?

I would suggest having a business competition for the upper classman who have had experience and then hold a lower stakes competition for the underclassman who have not had as much exposure to this type of stuff.

What is one experience that you’ll never forget about SNC?

There are so many and it would be hard to choose just one and especially one that is politically correct. But one experience that I will never forget is walking off the stage at Governors Cup, and feeling how supported we were from this community was really awesome.

March 4, 2015

Located toward the back of the nationally recognized science building for its high-performance structure, building technology, design and construction of the future is the once very popular greenhouse. While the greenhouse may have seen better days, the space is open to a variety of possibilities. Senior Marina McCoy, Sustainability chair and Green Council president, is helping lead the way to improve where past students left off.

“We really want to make the greenhouse functional and flourish with yummy veggies,” said McCoy. “We hope that this can be used as a platform to get more students involved with growing their own food and reducing food waste.”

Under the supervision of Gigi Giles, lab manager of the Science department and Suzanne Gollery, chair of Science and Technology, students can come and go as required, keeping up with current projects. Giles has been working hard recently cleaning up the room alongside several eager students. When it comes to how the greenhouse is being used, Giles wants students to take charge of the program with her and Gollery’s guidance with updated procedures.

March 4, 2015

During a typical school week, Senior Tom Loeschner does more than attend classes at Sierra Nevada College. In his free time, he could be searching for dead trees in the Tahoe National Forest, fashioning a bench in his garage or discussing a custom table for a resident of Incline Village.

“There’s a good adage that I never believed until I started my business,” said Loeschner. “It’s ‘Work hard for eight hours a day for somebody else, or be the boss and work sixteen hours a day’.”

Recently at I.V. Coffee Lab in Incline Village, Loeschner installed new custom benches and a coffee bar, both fashioned from local wood as part of his wood and metalworking business, Greywood.

“I strive to be green in my business, so all my slab wood is cut from dead trees in the Tahoe National Forest. I gather the trees myself. I fell them and I mill them myself, and then I build the furniture myself. From tree to finished piece it’s all hands on,” Loeschner said.

Tom has also built a table for Lighthouse Coffee in Sparks, NV, and custom pieces for homes in the Tahoe and Reno area.

Junior Terra Breeden has started two of her own businesses in the past, but she feels her most recent endeavor into athletic clothing has been more successful because of the experience gained during these two attempts.

“We’re still learning so much even though; we’re in our third year,” Breeden said.

The athletic and yoga clothing industries are currently the fastest growing in the clothing industry, according to Breeden. Her clothing business, Indah Yoga, is selling at Gaialicious in South Lake Tahoe and High Altitude Fitness in Incline Village. In addition, Indah Yoga is selling clothes in stores as far away as White Fish, Montana and San Diego, California.

“As a company we’re striving to be something that’s really unique and creative, but also really comfortable and affordable,” said Breeden.

Senior Henry Phillips, a student veteran and non-profit owner at SNC, wanted to do something more for young veterans transitioning to civilian life. Outside of class time, he has started the Mountain King’s Motorcycle Club Family, to provide assistance to this demographic of college students.

“What their purpose is, is to provide one on one mentorship to at-risk or disadvantaged veterans to get them on their feet,” said Phillips.

Phillips plans to buy property in the Tahoe area to serve as a resting point for veteran’s who have just recently left the service, most of whom are older than the average college student. The average college student that has served in the military in the United States is 29 years old, according to Phillips. He says that this can be a challenging transition for many of them.

“We get a little bit of assistance on the way out the door, but it’s almost like the mindset of the college graduate. Our safety net is being taken away from us. We have to survive on our own now,” Phillips said, “A lot of veterans shut down.”

Several students enter into their own personal business ventures at SNC, and Phillips attributes this trend to SNC’s business department, which he believes has fostered an environment of entrepreneurship and support.

“It’s the recognition that come from peers and faculty that really drive people to do things.”

Courtesy of Facebook & Indah Yoga

Senior Tom Loeschner breaks down a tree for his custom woodworking business, Greywood.

Junior Terra Breeden poses in one of her athletic yoga outfits from her company “Indah Yoga”.

March 4, 2015

The Pet Network Humane Society of North-Tahoe, located off Village Blvd. in Incline Village, now offers $10 doggy daycare specials on Wednesdays for Sierra Nevada College students as of Feb.18, with the help of Senior Katie Russie.

Russie, who is also the director of Public Relations for SNC’s Student Government Association, advertised the doggy deal in the Feb. 16-20 issue of the ‘Potty Press,’ which she publishes weekly.

“I’m the boarding lead at the Pet Network, so I am in charge of the daycare program,” said Russie.

According to Russie, she came up with the idea for the program with the help of Jason Stipp, the executive director of the Pet Network, and Caleb Knapp, the operations manager.

“I happened to be driving by SNC and noticed there were quite a few dogs in cars waiting for their owners to get out of class,” said Stipp. “I ran the idea across a couple people and we decided to offer students a little something to help them out.”

The regular price for doggy daycare is $20 a day, but with a SNC discount of $10, Russie said she hopes students will take advantage of the offer.

“We decided to just start with one day a week,” said Russie. “But, if it works well we want to offer it on weekends too.”

Although the program recently started, the Pet Network has not had any interested SNC students, yet.

“So far we have not had a single student take advantage of this program, but it’s only been in effect for one day so we’re hoping over time our numbers will increase. We may even offer more days in the future,” said Stipp.

With a campus in a dog-friendly community, some students believe this program would be beneficial.

“I wouldn’t necessarily use it, because I like to keep my dog with me 24/7,” said Sophomore Michael Bashaw. “But, I think it would be good for other people and for socializing their dogs.”

The three designed the program to be convenient and affordable for owners, while fun and safe for dogs.

“Drop-offs begin at 7:30 a.m. and dogs can stay until 6 p.m. They get two, one-hour long play groups where they play in our yard with other dogs and a staff member, and three shorter 15-minute outings throughout the day,” said Russie

“I think it is a really great deal for the price,” said Bashaw. “Twelve hours of dog daycare for $10? Definitely.”

If this program proves successful, Stipp says he may expand the Pet Networks involvement in Incline Village in different ways.

“We are always looking to create a symbiotic relationship with our community,” said Stipp. “Working with SNC in any capacity would be advantageous for the Pet Network.”

THE STAFF at Pet Network provide dogs with a safe and fun place to run around while you are away.